Which Five Online Retailers Issue the Speediest Refunds?

Looking to unload some lousy gifts post-Christmas? Yeah, us too. Everyone knows it’s the thought that counts, of course, but it’s inevitable that most of us wind up with a small (or not-so-small) pile of unwanted presents after all the wrapping paper’s been ripped free. Fortunately, this being the era of the easy exchange, it’s typically fairly simple to swap that wine cozy for, say, a box set of DVDs or some new sunglasses.

Since late December’s the busiest time for online and in-shop returns, however, not all e-tailers are particularly quick to issue that refund or store credit. Independent consumer ratings company STELLAService recently decided to test the shipping speed of a handful of popular e-commerce destinations by ordering and then returning items from each site. Which stores issued the swiftest refunds? Click through the slideshow to find out—and to peep a few items we’d suggest putting that store credit toward.